NFL 2013 Week 8 Recap

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the Thursday night game. Sometimes a winless team can play inspired football in a nationally televised night game in front of the home fans. This was not that game. Cam Newton led a 15 play, 70 yard drive that consumed nearly 9 minutes. A one yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen made it 7-0 Panthers.

After a Tampa Bay field goal, in the second quarter Deangelo Williams ran for a 12 yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Panthers. Tampa Bay did get another field goal before the half but in the third quarter Newton ran for a 6 yard touchdown.

In the fourth quarter Newton hit Mike Tolbert for a 3 yard touchdown and Graham Gano added a 29 yard field goal as turnovers set up a short field for both scores. Despite giving up a late garbage touchdown, the Panthers cruised to keep the Greg Schiano Bucs toothless, winless, worthless, and 14 losses from surpassing the orange creamsicle winking pirate Bucs of the 1970s. 31-13 Panthers

Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions—Matthew Stafford easily moved the Lions 90 yard as a 2 yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson put Detroit up 7-0. Dallas would kick a 53 yard field goal in the second quarter. Just past the 2 minute warning, the Lions faced 3rd and 5 at the Dallas 27. Stafford was intercepted by Lee, who returned it 74 yards to the Detroit 4. Tony Romo hit Dez Bryant for the score as the Cowboys led 10-7 at intermission.

Dan Bailey again hit from 53 as the Cowboys led 13-7 after three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter the Lions faced 4th and goal at the 2, and Jim Schwartz decided not to gamble. The field goal got the Lions within 13-10. Romo then came back and hit Terrance Williams for a 60 yard touchdown as the Cowboys got some breathing room up 20-10.

Stafford quickly led the Lions 80 yards as a one yard touchdown run by Joique Bell got Detroit within 20-17. Yet Romo kept firing, and a 50 yard touchdown to Dez Bryant had Dallas back up 27-17. Stafford again rapidly moved the Lions 80 yards and this time Reggie Bush got in from one yard out to get the Lions within 27-24. Bailey hit his third field goal from 44 yards out with one minute left to give the Cowboys a 6 point lead. Yet they did not lock the coffin.

From the Detroit 20, Stafford hit Megatron Calvin Johnson for 17. Megatron had over 200 receiving yards on the day, and with him now being triple teamed Staffor went to Durham for a 40 yard gain. Stafford then went back to Johnson for 22 down to the one with less than 20 seconds to play. With Dallas expecting a spike. Stafford leapt over the top as the ball just broke the plane of the goal with 12 seconds to play. Dez Bryant threw a sideline tantrum and nobody can blame Romo for this loss. 31-30 Lions

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs—Brian Hoyer went down, Brandon Weeden played like Brandon Weeden, and now Jason Campbell got his first start on the road against Kansas City, the NFL’s lone unbeaten team. Ryan Succop hit a 42 yard field goal in the first quarter and a 35 yarded in the second quarter to put the Chiefs up 6-0.

Alex Smith led a 14 play, 82 yard drive that ate up 7 1/2 minutes and concluded with a 12 yard touchdown pass to Anthony Sherman. Campbell came right back with a 39 yard touchdown to Josh Gordon to get the Browns within 13-7. Yet Smith went deep to Dexter McCluster, who made a diving 28 yard touchdown catch to make it 20-7 Chiefs with one minute left in the half. Cleveland aded a field goal just before the half to get within 20-10.

The Browns hung tough and in the third quarter Campbell hit Foswhitt Whitaker for a 17 yard touchdown to get the Browns within 20-17. It may have been the first ever touchdown by a Foswhitt. With 17 seconds left in regulation Succop hit his 3rd field goal from 40 yards out to put the Chiefs up by 6. Campbell needed 80 yards for the win and a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass came up 71 yards short as Walrus Lite Andy Reid and the Chiefs got to 8-0. 23-17 Chiefs

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots—Ryan Tannehill hit Brandon Gibson for a 4 yard touchdown and then in the second quarter found Daniel Thomas for a 5 yard score as the Dolphins took a surprising 14-0 lead on the Patriots. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 34 yard field goal to finally get the Patriots on the board, but Cale Sturgis responded with a 52 yarded to make it 17-3 Dolphins at halftime

Miami missed a chance to extend the lead in the third quarter when a touchdown pass was dropped. Then a 56 yard field goal try clanked off the upright no good. Tom Brady made the Dolphins pay, taking them down the field. A touchdown pass to Dobson had the Patriots within 17-10. Tannehill was then nailed on a blindside blitz, resulting in a fumble that the Patriots recovered at the Miami 13. Brandon Bolden ran it in from 2 yards out to tie the game 17-17.

The go-ahead touchdown pass by Brady was called back due to a penalty, but a field goal had the Patriots leading 20-17 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Brady led a 12 play, 82 yard, 6 minute drive. Steaven Ridley ran it in from 3 yards out to give the Patriots a 27-17 lead. With Miami trying to make it a one score game, a field goal try with 4 minutes left was blocked. There was no leverage penalty this time. 27-17 Patriots

Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints—Buffalo fumbled on the first play from scrimmage as each team missed a field goal early on. Buffalo then fumbled again to give the Saints the ball at the Buffalo 21. Drew Brees hit Lance Moore for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Saints.

In case anyone wonders who now quarterbacks the Bills instead of EJ Manuel, his name is Thaddeus Lewis. He threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Steve St. Johnson to tie the game. When Dan Carpenter hit a 37 yard field goal, the Bills had a surprising 10-7 lead. Yet the Saints still have Brees, and he hooked up with Kenny Stills on a 69 yard touchdown to make it 14-10 Saints. Brees hit Jimmy Graham for a 15 yard touchdown pass just before the half to extend the Saints lead to 21-10.

In the third quarter Brees went back to Graham for a 13 yard touchdown and 28-10 Saints lead. Fred Jackson scroed to get Buffalo back within 11 late, but Brees’s 5th touchdown pass was too much for Buffalo as he hit Stills again for a 42 yard score to ice things. 35-17 Saints

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles—The Giants got their first win of the year last week and faced off against the underwhelming Eagles in a battle for the NFC Least. The vaunted Chip Kelly offense with michael Vick back at the helm was lifeless. Josh Brown was the only player on either team to show up. He kicked field goals in the first quarter of 40 and 44 yards and in the second quarter connected from 33 and 46 as the Giants led 12-0 at the break.

Brown’s fifth field goal from 27 yards out in the fourth quarter extended Big Blue’s lead to 15-0. With 4 minutes left and the Giants in total control, a Giants punt went awry when the snap sailed over the punter’s head. The resulting gift touchdown was what the vaunted Chip Kelly “offense” mustered on this day. 15-7 Giants

San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars—God may save the Queen, but nobody can save the Jaguars. They traveled all the way to London to play the 49ers in a “home” game. They are now awful on two continents.

In the first quarter Frank Gore ran for a 19 yard score and Colin Kaepernick had a 12 yard touchdown run. On the second quarter Kaepernick threw a 2 yard touchdown to Vernon Davis and ran for a 9 yard touchdown as the 49ers led 28-0. Jacksonville fulfilled their quota with a field goal to trail 28-3 at halftime.

Chad Henne did get the Jaguars in the end zone in the third quarter with a 29 yard touchdown to Mike Brown, but Gore ran it in from 2 yards out have the 49ers back up 35-10. A 47 yard fumble return by Dan Skuta for another score just added to the humiliation. 42-10 49ers

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals—After a big emotional win against New England, as expected the Jets came out flat against Cincinnati. Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones and a 4 yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham as the Bengals led 14-0 early on.

In the second quarter Dalton was intercepted, giving the Jets the ball at the Cincy 30. Gang Green settled for a 45 yard Nick Folk field goal to trail 14-3. Dalton quickly moved the Bengals 86 yards as a 6 yarder to Jones was Dalton’s 3rd touchdown pass in a 21-3 Bengals lead.

After another Jets field goal, the ensuing kickoff was returned 71 yards by Brandon Tate to the Jets 29. Dalton’s 4th touchdown pass was a 14 yard toss to Jones as the Bengals cruised 28-6 at halftime.

The Jets began the third quarter with Geno Smith throwing the ball to Chris Crocker, who plays defense for the Bengals. The 32 yard interception return made it 35-6 Bengals. After the Jets inspired their team with a third field goal, Dalton’s 5th touchdown pass was the fourth one to Jones, a 6 yarder to make it 42-9 Bengals. Smith then began the fourth quarter completing a pass to Adam “Pacman” Jones, who also plays defense for the Bengals. The 60 yard return ended the mismatch and got Cincinnati to 6-2 atop the AFC North. 49-9 Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders—The Raiders began the game at their own 7 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Terrelle Pryor electrified the crowd with a 93 yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Raiders. Later in the quarter Rashaard Jennings blocked a Pittsburgh punt to set up Oakland at the Steelers 26. Darren McFadden ran it in from 7 yards out to make it 14-0 Raiders.

Late in the first quarter Pryor was intercepted give Pittsburgh a short field. Shawn Suisham hit a field goal early in the second quarter to get Pittsburgh on the board. Yet with Pryor scrambling all over the place, a wildcat snap to McFadden went for a 4 yard touchdown run as the Raiders led 21-3 just past the 2 minute warning. The Raiders had nearly 200 yards rushing in the first half.

The Raiders got it back with a short field at the Pittsburgh 46. A pass over the middle by Pryor was straight in the receiver’s stomach, where it bounced out and was intercepted. Pittsburgh missed a 34 yard field goal to end the half. In the third quarter Ben Roethlisberger led a 9 minute drive but again the Steelers came away empty when Suisham missed a short field goal.

An interception of Roethlisberger had the Raiders in good shape, but then Jacoby Ford fumbled a simple swing pass deep in Oakland territory. On 3rd down from the 9 Roethlisberger somehow avoided a sack and hit Emanuel Sanders for the touchdown to get the Steelers within 21-10 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

The Raiders quickly went 3 and out and the Steelers took over at their own 40. Yet the Raiders dodged another bullet when a long Pittsburgh completion was ruled incomplete. The Raiders went into a complete shell on offense and a punt return by Pittsburgh had the Steelers starting at the Oakland 31 midway through the fourth quarter. Yet the Raiders again received a break when a short Big Ben pass was jarred loose for a shoestring catch interception. The Raiders ran three straight times and punted again.

An exhausted Oakland defense thought it had the game locked up with an interception with 90 seconds to play. Yet defensive holding meant 1st and goal as the Steelers got within 21-18 with a 2 yard Le’Veon Bell run and two point conversion. The onside kick failed but the Steelers still had 2 timeouts left. The Raiders ran 3 straight times again and punted. The Steelers got it back at their own two yard line with 18 seconds left and 0 timeouts. A completed pass over the middle was enough for the clock to run out. It was hideously ugly, but the Raiders, as Al Davis would say, just won baby. 21-18 Raiders

Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos—Peyton Manning quickly moved the Broncos 77 yards as a 6 yard touchdown to Wes Welker got the Broncos on the board first. Midway through the second quarter the Redskins were backed up to their own 5 yard line. Robert Griffin III led a staggering 16 play, 95 yard, 7 minute drive. With less than 30 seconds left in the half, RGIII hit Leonard Hankerson for a 7 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.

In the third quarter Manning made two key mistakes. First he was sacked and fumbled, and the Redskins recovered at the Denver 19. Alfred Morris did the rest as a one yard touchdown run gave the Redskins the lead. Then Manning was intercepted by Deangelo Hall, who returned it 26 yards in front of a stunned home crowd as the Redskins led 21-7.

Manning came back and moved the Broncos 75 yards as a 4 yard touchdown pass to Monte Ball got Denver within 21-14. Manning then led Denver 83 yards in 16 plays and 5 minutes. On the first play of the fourth quarter, John Fox decided to go for it on 4th and goal from the one. Manning hit Joel Dreesen for the touchdown and the game was tied 21-21.

Special teams played a role when a shanked Washington punt netted only 15 yards. From the Washington 35, a short dumpoff to Knowshon Moreno went all the way for the touchdown as the Broncos led 28-21. RGIII was then sacked and fumbled, which led to Denver again facing 4th and goal at the one. This time John Fox took no chances at the 19 yard Matt Prater field goal made it 31-21 Broncos. Griffin was then intercepted for another short field.

Manning hit Denarius Thomas for a 35 yard touchdown to make it 38-21 Broncos. Griffin was then intercepted yet again. In what was not an instant replay, with RGIII on the bench, Kirk Cousins was intercepted for a touchdown by Dominique Rogers-Cromartie as Mike Shanahan failed to get revenge against the second team that fired him. 45-21 Broncos

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals—A battle of underachieving teams saw Atlanta kick a field goal to lead 3-0 after the opening quarter. In the second quarter Carson Palmer threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald to put the Cardinals out in front. Atlanta added another field goal to trail 7-6. Yet one play later the Cardinals were in the end zone again as Andre Ellington took a handoff inside and bounced to the outside for an 80 yard touchdown run and a 14-6 Cardinals lead. Arizona got it back and Palmer hit Michael Floyd for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 21-6 Cardinals.

A forgettable second half had the Cardinals tack on a pair of field goals and the Falcons reach the end zone long after the outcome had removed all doubt. Neither of these teams are going to the playoffs despite having talent. 27-13 Cardinals

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings was the Sunday night game. Patterson got the crowd rocking 13 seconds into the game by returning the opening kickoff 109 yards for a touchdown to tie the NFL record and giving the Vikings the 7-0 lead. Then reality set in. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers 90 yards in 11 plays and 7 1/2 minutes, with an 11 yard touchdown pass to Jordy nelson tying the game 7-7.

In the second quarter Green Bay kicked a field goal and Minnesota added one of their own, but after that Green Bay dominated. Rodgers went back to Nelson for a 76 yard touchdown to make it 17-10 Packers. Hyde then returned a punt 93 yards for a score to make it 24-10 Packers. Adrian Peterson did run it in from 8 yards out to get the Vikings within 24-17 at halftime, but after that the Packers took over for good.

A 15 play, 80 yard drive consumed 8 minutes and ended with Eddie Lacy getting in from one yard out to make it 31-17 Packers after three quarters. Starks had a 25 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and Mason Crosby kicked another field goal to make it 41-17 Green Bay. Minnesota scored a couple times to make the score look almost respectable, but it was not as Green Bay got to 5-2 to lead the NFC North and Minnesota fell to 1-6 and the cellar. 44-31 Packers

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams was the Monday night game. Pete Carroll and Jeff Fisher both know defense, and this game was an old-fashioned streetfight. With Sam Bradford injured, Kellen Clemens had to face off against Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom. A short field allowed Greg “the Leg” Zeurlein to kick a field goal and get the Rams on the board first. In the second quarter a 39 yard interception return by Sherman gave Seattle a short field. A 2 yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate had the Seahawks up 7-3 at the break despite only 42 yards of total offense.

The Rams drove deep in the third quarter, but on 4th and 2 from the Seattle 10 Jeff Fisher opted for the field goal. With Seattle clinging to a 7-6 lead, one play changed the game. Wilson went deep to Tate for an 80 yard touchdown as Seattle led 14-6. The Rams moved deep again but on 3rd and goal from the 3 Clemens was sacked. A third field goal got the Rams within 5 points early in the fourth quarter. The Rams missed a chance to get closer when Zeurlein’s fourth field goal try from 50 yards out was no good with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

With 5:42 to play, the Rams got it back at their own 3 yard line. Despite being harassed all game, Clemens moved the Rams down the field. Stacy ran for 8 and 18, and Clemens hit Givens for 21, Richardson for 8 and Kendricks for 18. Richardson then ran for 5 and 10. On 3rd and goal from the one, Richardson got stopped. The entire game came down to one play. With 4 seconds left, on 4th and goal at the one, Seattle sent an all out blitz and Clemens threw incomplete. Seattle survived to get to 7-1 atop the entire NFC. 14-9 Seahawks

eric

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